T3 withdrawal and HWLH CCG

[loueldhen]

Following various stories of folk receiving letters abruptly stopping t3 treatment from the HWLH CCG I contacted their medicines management team. Their story is that it has been blacklisted for some time and they are now getting round to informing patients. It was blacklisted by virtue of a document that ignored the December 2016 BTA advice to maintain treatment for those already receiving T3 and ignores the NHS consultation conclusion that you should be reviewed by a specialist prior to switching. Their suggestion was that I book in with my specialist and that in secondary care he could still prescribe it either with a hospital prescription or a green prescription. So the strategy is to threaten primary care GPs with breach of contract and overwhelm secondary care endos with useless appointments. I have asked them how to pursue this matter further by email (as of course she could tell I was het up by our discussion). So to the folk who have already had their letters I suggest they tell their doctors they are between breach of contract and breach of patient care. (It can’t be a breach of contract to look after your patients can it?). I’ll let you know when my letter arrives.....

[Clutter]

Loueldhen,

CCGs are expected to do impact consultations with the public and stakeholders before implementing change. Failure to do so leaves them open to legal challenge so check whether your CCG did an impact consultation before advising your GP to withdraw T3.

mills-reeve.com/files/Publi...

CCGs do not have the authority to tell GPs what not to prescribe. Individual GPs, not CCGs, could be found in breach of the General Medical Services contract if they do not prescribe treatment patients have been told "they need".

bmj.com/content/358/bmj.j36...

The GPC has warned that GPs would be in breach of the GMS contract and could get into legal trouble by following the orders and refusing to prescribe patients treatments they have told them they need.

gponline.com/gpc-warning-ig...